The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London

By Christopher Skaife

For centuries, the Tower of London has been home to a group of famous avian residents: the ravens. Each year they are seen by millions of visitors, and they have become as integral a part of the Tower as its ancient stones. But their role is even more important than that—legend has it that if the ravens should ever leave, the Tower will crumble into dust and great harm will befall the kingdom.

The responsibility for ensuring that such a disaster never comes to pass falls to one man: the Ravenmaster. The current holder of the position is Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife, and in this fascinating, entertaining and touching book he memorably describes the ravens’ formidable intelligence, their idiosyncrasies and their occasionally wicked sense of humour. The Ravenmaster is a compelling, inspiring and irreverent story that will delight and surprise anyone with an interest in British history or animal behaviour.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781443455947

Christopher Skaife

Christopher Skaife is Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) and Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. He has served in the British Army for twenty-four years, during which time he became a machine-gun specialist as well as an expert in survival and interrogation resistance. He has been featured on the History Channel, PBS, the BBC, Buzzfeed, Slate, and more. He lives at the Tower with his wife and, of course, the ravens. Follow him on Twitter: @ravenmaster1.

Reviews for The Ravenmaster

[jorgeousjotts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a fan of ravens in general, and the tower ravens in particular. Skaife does a nice job conveying many of the highlights of working with ravens and the history of ravens at the Tower of London. He also shares some of his personal history that led him to where he is. The tone is pretty conversational, and it's nice that he narrates the audiobook version, so you really get the right emphasis exactly as he meant them.

[dele2451 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A British Army veteran finds a second calling as the full-time caretaker of the legendary London Tower ravens. This book is an entertaining mix of bird folklore, British history, and avian science. Fun, informative, and a recommended read to anyone interested in Corvids and all those planning a visit to London. I also appreciated the photos and the recommended reading list in the back.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

nonfiction/memoir of Yeoman Warder and Ravenmaster.
I was expecting more ravens; this had to do mostly with Skaife's life (including some war stories from his days spent as a soldier) and a few stories about the Tower of London (ghosts, birds, and follies).
I would have abandoned but it was a fairly short book so I just pushed through, but I can't say I'm much richer for it.

[angelajmaher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A unique memoir from a man working in a unique job. Written in a conversational style, this is an enjoyable and enlightening read. It's a great book if you want to start learning about ravens (and has an excellent list of further reading in the back), but also worthwhile if you enjoy memoirs of people living unusual lives, or like history.

[mickyfine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an utterly charming memoir from the current Ravenmaster at the Tower of London, whose primary duty is to care for the resident ravens at the Tower of London. Skaife is an excellent storyteller (you can definitely see his skills giving tours at the Tower at work here) and he weaves together his life experiences with his work at the Tower providing an insight into both Tower and raven lore and history, mixed with some insights into his own life and character. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and highly recommend it if it intrigues you even slightly.

[bgknighton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable introduction to the ravens of the Tower of London. An overview of their history, care, and personalities. A nice light read.

[forsanolim · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is an enjoyable book written by the current Ravenmaster at the Tower of London (the guy responsible for caring for the Tower's ravens). In the book, Christopher Skaife discusses aspects of caring for the ravens and what his life is like at the Tower, in addition to some recollection of his earlier life, especially the 24 years he spent in the military.I listened to this on audiobook, and I would definitely recommend doing it that way--Skaife narrates, and it's definitely an enjoyable time. The structure of the book is extremely informal, jumping from story to story, and so it works really well as an audiobook. I'm not sure how memorable this will be for me, but it was definitely a fun listen.

[stbalbach_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Memoir by the current Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. Having never been there or even knowing ravens hung out there it was all new. Skaife has a bartenders gift for conversation, likely honed over years of dealing with the public, and with VIP guests at the Tower bar. The focus is on the ravens which are interesting enough. His theory about the ravens origins at the Tower is good, but who knows. This is a light and easy read, notable for Skaife's personality and insider access to a popular tourist spot.

[gwendydd · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this, but it was disappointing. It's pretty touristy - Skaife spends a lot of time talking to tourists, so the book is full of the same kind of information he shares with tourists, which is mostly a bunch of anecdotes, a few historical facts, and an awful lot of army stories. You won't learn anything about ravens that you don't already know from watching a nature documentary.

[billiebook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Narrated by the author, with whom I now want to hang out and have a drink.